Vienna’s main S-Bahn line closes south of Praterstern until October 2027

One of Vienna’s largest construction projects officially begins on Monday, although passengers have already been dealing with the closure for weeks. The S-Bahn main line between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof will remain closed until the end of October 2027.

S-Bahn and regional trains will not run through the section, or will be diverted. The REX1, for example, will travel from the north via Stadlau and Simmering to Hauptbahnhof. The airport branch is also affected: neither the S7 nor the City Airport Train will run from Wien Mitte. The S7 will start its airport service at St. Marx, while the CAT will be replaced entirely by buses.

The practical change on Monday is therefore not the closure itself. A cable fire in the Praterstern signal box had already shut the route unexpectedly on August 13. What now begins in full are the replacement measures planned for the construction closure, just as passenger numbers are expected to rise after the school holidays.

The main alternative is the Vienna public transport network. The U1, which links Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof, will run more frequently, along with the U2, U4 and U6. Longer trains will operate on tram line O, line 62 will be diverted via Hauptbahnhof, and line 18 will extend to the U2 Stadion on a new route. The extension also offers connections to Hauptbahnhof, Westbahnhof, U3, U4 and U6. ÖBB will run a shuttle bus between Meidling on the U6 and Längenfeldgasse on the U4 and U6.

Airport passengers can take direct RJX, RJ or IC trains from Hauptbahnhof or Meidling. The diverted REX7 will also serve the airport and connect Liesing and Mödling toward the south. The CAT will remain suspended, with buses operating instead.